Another Sweet for My Sweets and My Christmas Present to You!

Dec 13, 2022 8:16 pm

First, another Christmas cookie recipe. Because you deserve it. Or those you love deserve it. Maybe Santa deserves it. Someone definitely deserves it.

And keep scrolling, because as another little Christmas present I've included a holy ton of Christmas stories!

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

makes 30 cookies

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

Cost: $2.63 for 30 cookies

butter: .30, sugar: .18, egg: .10, flour: .15, chocolate chips: .90, sweetened condensed milk: .50, cherries: .50)

1/2 C (1 stick) butter, soft

1 C sugar

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 C cocoa

1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

maraschino cherries or other filling such as chocolate, Andes mints, nuts, toffee, dried fruit, or whatever your imagination conjures

Topping:

1 C chocolate chips

1/2 C sweetened condensed milk (Uh-oh, you're going to have the rest of the can to use still. That's always bad news so I'm sorry about that. You'll have to pour it over your cereal for breakfast. Note: I say that in jest; it's a totally bad idea, as is eating the rest of the contents of your can with a spoon. I'm not saying you can't, only that such a choice might be regretted. And as far as I know there's no morning after pill, over-the-counter or otherwise, for such behavior. P.S. Let me know if there is.)

1 Tbsp cherry "juice" to loosen it up (if you're not using cherries, you can add milk)

Preheat oven to 350.

Beat butter and sugar until nice and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat.

Mix in dry ingredients and beat (I always have to mix then beat because my hand-mixer sprays powdered ingredients everywhere if I'm not careful.) You'll get a very firm batter. Like this.

Now take your firm batter and roll it into 1-inch balls. I got about 30, which I managed to cram all onto one jelly roll sheet.

Now take your thumb and give these a good smash in the middle. You want a nice indentation for your cherry.

Now add the fillings of your choice.

Now throw your topping ingredients into the microwave for 30 seconds. Mix. And nuke for a few more seconds or until smooth.

Plop 1-2 tsp worth of the chocolate mixture onto the cherry or other topping. Try to get it all covered.

Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees. The edges will poof and spread a bit, so don't put the cookies any closer together than these.

And you're done. If you take them to a party, make sure the nut ones are labeled for anyone with an allergy.

Note: For pictures hop over my no-longer-active-but-still-there food blog.

If cookies aren't enough (when are cookies not enough?) and you're interested in my winter-themed story, you can find it on Kindle Vella (just CLICK THE LINK and start reading!). I upload an episode every day except Sunday, and because of this, it feels to me like an advent calendar, only with story! How fun is that!

First three episodes are FREE. And if you're new to vella, you'll get 200-500 more tokens for free. So give it a shot!

When Gretchen Stephens inherits an old farmhouse from the grandmother she barely knew, she has one option: sell it. After all, there's no sentiment beyond a few fuzzy memories and no money without a sale.

Her resolve only solidifies when the hot handyman shows up to help haul off the old refrigerator. After all, the last thing she needs is some country boy to trap her in this little town forever.

READ NOW!

To go with this holiday theme, I've gathered several (like, a hecka lot of) holiday books and Kindle Vellas so you can read to your heart's holiday delight.

This is my Christmas gift for you! Enjoy!

Feel free to scroll down and see what there is. I've included as many as responded to my call on Facebook, and they all look ADORABLE! (My normal disclaimer: Most I haven't read, so if it's not your cuppa hot chocolate, scroll on by. A few I have read, and I'll mention when that's the case.)

Books:

Something Sweet by Jessica Brown ($2.99 or FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

She has a passion for sweets and frosting. He just wants to do his job and have a cup of coffee.

Selling Christmas by Angelina Goode ($2.99)

Three bed, two bath, room for Santa...

There's No Place Like Gnome by Katie Stearns ($4.99 or FREE on Kindle Unlimited)

Lacey Murdock's life screeches to a halt when she gets stranded in small town Larkspur for Christmas...

Stuck With Santa by Audrey Carnes ($2.99 or FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

Grumpy elf meets sunshine Santa in this small-town, second-chance, sweet rom com!

The Matchmaker's Spell: A Santa Story by Julie Leister ($3.99 or FREE on Kindle Unlimited)

Eira Noelle Clawson hates Christmas, but she’s about to fall in love with Santa Claus.

The Crystal Realm: A Collection of Retold Christmas Tales by Abigail Manning ($2.99 or FREE with Kindle Unlimited)

A Festive Retelling of A Christmas Carol, The Gingerbread Man, and The Nutcracker...

Vellas (First three episodes always free!):

The Trouble with Mistletoe by Caroline Fardig (I've been reading this one and loving it! If you're a fan of clever Hallmark-style stories, this is perfect for you.)

Who doesn't like Christmas? Rose Hartwell, that's who. And being put in charge of the creation of the town's new mural depicting "the true spirit of Christmas" isn't helping.

Christmas Crush by Shauna Jared (I've read the beginning of this--and plan to keep reading--it's cute!)

What happens when you're searching for the perfect gift and some jerks steals it from under your nose?

The Escapades of Poppy Prinn Christmas Edition by Kate Seger (Note: The author tells me there is some light profanity, so if that bothers you, be warned.)

Embrace the mayhem with these flash fiction snippets centered on holidays and the changing seasons. All of which Poppy hates, by the way.